Armalite M-15 LTC: 6 Pound AR

As AR rifles became more and more popular during the past three decades, adding rails and gear became something akin to a fashion trend. Although it seems to have eased up a bit, there was a time that shooters appeared to see a full length quad rail handguard as a challenge. Every kind of flashlight, laser, forward grip, stop and switch were clamped on wherever one could find the room.

Now, there seems to be a trend away from excessive weight on America’s rifle and back to the fundamentals. Keeping pace with that trend, Armalite released the M-15 Light Tactical Carbine (LTC) earlier this year.

The M-15 LTC is a full featured AR rifle that weighs in at 6.0 pounds unloaded. In fairness, the rifle does not ship with sights, so adding any kind of iron sights or glass will add some amount of weight to the package.

Armalite chambered the base LTC in the original 5.56 NATO and uses a 16″ chrome lined barrel with a 1:7″ twist. The barrel is threaded. Armalite uses a low profile block and carbine length gas tube. As mentioned above, the gun does not have sights, but it does have a Picatinny rail on the receiver and on top of the handguard for the quick addition of them. The rest of the handguard has KeyMod attachment points. This gun carries a MSRP of $999.

Armalite also offers two additional calibers for the LTC: 7.62×39 and 6.8 SPC II. Both of these guns weigh in at 6.2 pounds but are similarly configured as the original 5.56 model.

Both of the larger caliber guns use a chrome lined 16″ barrel and mid length gas systems. These rifles carry a MSRP of $1,099.

I should be quiet though, AKs are light to me and STR 200s are normal for me.

gunsandrockets

Sure. But if you start with a 4 pounds bare bones rifle, by the time you add sights, a loaded magazine and sling, you are creeping close to 7 pounds.

Joseph Goins

I’d rather pay an extra $200 can buy a BCM Recce 14 KMR-ELWF what has a base weight of 5.6lbs. That way, I can put a Trijicon MRO with full cowitness mount, Troy folding sights, Inforce WML, VTAC sling bringing the package up to 6.8 lbs. Nice and tight.

Vitor Roma

Mid lenght with the low pressure x39 must be smooth.

Anonymoose

The AK is about mid-length, but it’s a piston, so the gas doesn’t have to come all the way back into the carrier.

jamesone

He’s talking about the armalite rifle in the post in x39 and mid length…

Give it a mid length gas setup, the armalite adjustable trigger (my fav of three triiger upgrades I have simply due to pre and post travel adjustment is so easy.), and knock off $200 and you’d have a solid competitor.

Otherwise, despite weight… in a store this would be viewed as a run of the mill rifle.

Nocternus

This doesn’t seem all that impressive. My dad just bought an adams arms lightweight AR that weighs 5.6 lbs and is piston driven and only cost $700.